Alt-BEAM Archive

Message #05740



To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: Bruce Robinson Bruce_Robinson@bc.sympatico.ca
Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1999 19:43:47 -0700
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: MOSFET sensor thingy


Richard Caudle wrote:
>
> What's a theremin?

Oh, oh. Now everyone will know how ancient I am.

A Theremin's an electronic musical instrument. It has two antennae which
are influenced by the hands -- one controls the pitch, one controls the
volume. It's played by holding the hands above it and moving them up and
down. Produces really eerie sounds -- first "presented" to a broad
audience by the Beach Boys song "Good Vibrations".

I built one from a kit for a friend that wanted to be the next Mick
Jagger. He didn't make it, and I didn't keep the circuit diagram. #@%^#%

I just found a website about it, and much to my surprise I see the darn
thing was invented in 1919. I ain't THAT old. Try
http://www.nashville.net/~theremin/

Regards,
Bruce

(and here I thought you, of all people, would know what it was ).



5741 Mon, 16 Aug 1999 22:35:55 -0400 [alt-beam] Re: MOSFET sensor thingy beam@sgiblab.sgi.com Bob Shannon

Bruce Robinson wrote:

> > Richard Caudle wrote:
> >
> > Today at work, I came across a circuit for detecting electrostatic
> > fields. ... The closer I moved my hand to the 'antenna', the higher
> > the voltage went.
>
> Sounds like you re-invented the Theremin, Richard. Actually, it WOULD be
> interesting to play around with the anttenae portion of a theremin to
> affect a robots behaviour.

Time for a Bicore Theremin!

Actually, if you use a MPF-102 rather than the 2N7000, you will have
reinvented Terry Newton's
electrostatic wake-up feelers on his older learning walker design.

Also seach the archives for the Capaciflector sensor threads. Cool stuff!

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